Decoding Cocktails

I am rarely at a loss for words, and often use more than necessary.
This hand-carved sign that Jen had made for my birthday flooded me.
I love you and this thoughtful gift.

The only way to kick off this post is “Greetings and Salutations”, one of the catchphrases of my guest Colin Asare-Appiah ().

By day, he serves as the Trade Director of multicultural and LGBTQ advocacy for La Gran Familia (aka ).

Riding shotgun with his warm smile and big laugh, is Colin’s tour de force energy for whatever he is working on, which I suppose is just a reflection of his call-to-action .

He slowed down from his usual sprint for a little bit to talk to me about Ajabu (). A Pan African cocktail festival he helped launch in 2024. The goal is to shine a light on all the magical things happening in spirits and cocktails in Africa and help further professionalize the industry.

The man is beyond infectious and I know you’ll enjoy this conversation with him.
You can find a link for it in my bio.

There is a passage in “Right Thing Right Now” by Ryan Holiday () that I haven’t been able to shake after reading several weeks ago, “It’s not a principle if it doesn’t cost you money.”

Two things are often on my mind from an environmental and labor perspective that I hadn’t taken the time to research or act upon.

1) SUGAR has a long and messy history. And still, I bought commodity sugar that has no visible supply chain. While it needs to meet a quality standard, who produces it, under what conditions, and how well are they paid was a black hole.

2) I go through lots of lemons and limes. Yet because of their acidic nature they’re difficult to compost. I looked into composting at home, but have been told that it would be nearly impossible to produce good compost because it would be hard for me to have enough material to offset them.

SO WHAT NOW? 🤔

My first step has been upgrading to sugar with a verifiable supply chain and/or certification. There are several that look like an okay place to start like , , and . I also know that Costco researches the heck out of their suppliers, which helped me find .

As for the citrus, I’m now paying for a compost service via .

Small steps.

Last night I hosted a class that covered two fall favorites, the Boukman Daiquiri: white rum, cognac, lime, and cinnamon syrup and egg nog. also dug into a new favorite, the Banana and Rum Old Fashioned.

In pretty much every class, people say they learn a lot and have a good time. But last night, a woman came up to me and said,
“My husband and I love cocktails, but I’ve always been too afraid to make them at home, so we just go out for them. I now feel unafraid to experiment.” ❤️

This is the best compliment I can recall receiving. This is why I do what I do. Cocktails are delicious, but they can also feel intimidating. If we teach people a few foundational techniques and ratios, they’re on their way to feeling comfortable enough to give it a try at home. Not because it’s a special occasion, but because they feel confident and excited to try.

Much love to my last-minute bar back, . DITB

I had the chance to chat with Molly Horn, Cocktail Strategy Manager for Total Wine ()… did you know they’re the largest wine and spirits retailer in the country?

After more than a decade in the restaurant and bar world, Molly was recruited by Total Wine for this new role, as a reaction to spirits sales exploding during the pandemic and people’s interest in cocktails grew.

Total Wine is interesting to study as a national barometer for people’s interest in spirits, liqueurs, cocktails and more.

Find a link to this conversation in my bio.